Jacksonville, FL vs Washington, DC
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Washington, DC outspends Jacksonville, FL by a wide margin per resident — $243,341 versus $31,456, a 674% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Jacksonville, FL holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 53/100 (grade C) against 41/100 (grade D) for Washington, DC — a 12-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Washington, DC carries the lighter load at $2,516 per resident versus $2,821 for Jacksonville, FL. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Jacksonville, FL leads with fire protection at $9,436 per resident, while Washington, DC leads with education at $53,224.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 14% of total revenue in Jacksonville, FL and 7% in Washington, DC.
Summary
Washington spends 87.1% more per capita than Jacksonville ($211,884/person difference). Jacksonville, FL has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 53/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $10 | $25 |
| Sales Tax | $233 | $991 |
| Income Tax | $762 | $141 |
| Intergovernmental | $7,348 | $18,754 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,119 | $4,070 |
| Other | $4,705 | $11,518 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $18 | $4,183 |
| Fire Protection | $9,436 | $4,262 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $1,435 |
| Education | $0 | $53,224 |
| Public Welfare | $486 | $2,498 |
| Health | $332 | $1,009 |
| Hospitals | $557 | $17,668 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,329 | $5,459 |
| Housing | $5,572 | $10,296 |
| Sewerage | $176 | $2,881 |
| Utilities | $1,835 | $88,990 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,942 | $58 |
| General Admin | $0 | $3,225 |
| Other | $9,771 | $48,155 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.